The week coming up is known around are house as Get Out Of My Way I'm Cooking Dammit Week! This is the time when the kitchen becomes my arena and I go into cage-match mode with a turkey. However, this year I am not making a turkey. This year I am cooking for a smaller crowd than usual, so I am in Tuscan Thanksgiving mode since my Italian parents are suspicious of anything else that might be on the table.
We live in Sonoma which is Wine Country. It's also Cheese Country and I happen to be lucky enough to count among my friends some of the best artisanal cheesemakers around here. Sheana Davis is one, whose prize winning Delice de La Vallee Cheese can be found on the menu of the French Laundry and fine cheeseshops around the country. So when we do cheese around here, we're not talking about that port-wine-drizzled bowling ball that arrives in the mail from Aunt Tina. We really do cheese. I will be serving some of these excellent cheeses at my house this Thanksgiving; my family loves them. I will also be serving the recipe I am about to share with you, even though I know my parents would never eat it. Clam dip with dried onion soup mix (remember that one?) is about as daring as my mom gets. The line has been drawn and it will go no further.
So what is this mysterious appetizer? Muhummara is it's name, don't wear it out. I discovered Muhummara while I was planning my big POM Wonderful dinner. I wanted to make sure I had something on the table when my guests arrived. I wanted to make sure that during my final preparations of the entree, I would not be disturbed. I wanted to make them happy so they would not be constantly asking me when the food would be ready. Boy howdy, did I succeed.
For those of you who have never heard of Muhummara, join the club. As I said, it's kissin' cousin to Hummus but instead of chickpeas, it's made of roasted red peppers and walnuts and other good stuff. It's hot and sweet and spicy and the perfect foil for whatever you're planning on serving later. It also goes great as a relish with everything from kebabs to roast chicken. Trust me I've tried it. It kicks ass!!
It also makes up in about 15 minutes and then mellows a bit before serving. For the busy holiday cook, what's not to like about that?!
Here's my adaptation of a classic Muhummara recipe. —Kathy Gori
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